Railway-tie.



R. J UPD IKE. RAILWAY TIE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28. I9I6.

"1,207,670. I Patented Dec. 5,1916.

2 $HEETSSHEET 1.

RQdOQDMZQdi/ m R. J. UPDIKE.

RAILWAY TIE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28, 1916.

1 ,207,670. Pam tented Dec. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

rinrrnn v. sTATEsrATEN orrron;

-RUDOLPH J; UPPIKE, OF STRASBURG, VIRGINIA.

RAILWAY-TIE.

Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Application fil ed April as, 1916. Serial No. 94,172.

wherein the sides of the same are rounded outwardly and the edges of the sheet of metal arranged upon the base of the tie and connected by transverse cleats which are adapted to enter the roadbed to assist in preventing the longitudinal. movement of the tie, and to provide means for securing the rails to the tie, and wherein the structure is such as to permit ofa certain and desired amount of vibration or" yielding of the tie when the weight of the rolling stock passes thereover. I

It is another object of the invention to loosely position in the tie, adjacent the ends thereof, suitable blocks which are adapted to underlie the rails, when the said rails are. positioned upon'the tie and to receive the securing spikes which pass through the top of the tie, the said blocks serving the additional purpose of normally reinforcing the tie and limiting the yielding of the tie when under the stress or strain of the rolling stock passing thereover.

It is a still further object of the invention to loosely arrange in the tie blocks, positioned. adjacent the ends of theotie, said blocks each having a central opening Within which is positioned a spring which exerts a tension between the top and bottom of the tie, the said blocks being also adapted to receive the securing spikes which connect the rails to the tie, and the sides of the tie, at the ends thereof, being provided with elongated openings, whereby a suitable instrument may be inserted'into the tie to engage the blocks to removethe said blocks from the tie.

WVith the above and other objects in view the improvement resides in the construction,

combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falls ing within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective View of ties constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing rails secured thereon, Fig; 2 is a central ver-.

'tical longitudinal sectional view through one of the ties with the rails thereon, Fig. 3

is a bottom plan. view of thetie, Fig. 4c isa transverse sectional view aooroximatel Y on the line H of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the'tie blocks, Fig. 6 is a similar view of one of the L-shaped cleats connecting the meeting edges of the ties, and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the tie is formed.

AS disclosed in Fig. 7 of the drawings my improved tie is constructed from a single sheet of suitable metal, and is folded or otherwise shaped to form the .tie -with a I horizontally straight top 2, parallel 0utwardly bulged sides 3 and a bottom 4 arranged parallel with the top 2. The meeting edges of theblank from which the tie is formed are arrangedupon the bottom of the tie, and if desired, these edges may be slightly spaced away from each other whereby a certain amount of the roadbed can enter the tie to add to the weight of the tie and more firmly sustain the same in the roadbed. The bottom 4 is provided with connecting members in the nature of substantially L-shaped cleats 5 which are, of course, arranged transversely of the ties,

and by reference to the plan view of the drawing, it will be noted that only two securing elements are employed for each of the cleats. Also by reference to the sectional views in the drawings it will be noted that all of the corners of the tie are rounded so that no sharp edges will interfere with the yielding of the tie when the same is subj ected to pressure by the weight of the rolling stock passing thereover, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Each of the sides 3 of the tie adjacent the ends thereof is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 6, and adapted to be received in the tie and to be retained a suitable disfrom the open ends thereof are blocks 7. These blocks are preferably constructed of wood or of any other suitable yieldable material; and the blocks are loosely positioned within the tie so as not to interfere with the yieldability of the said tie. The blocks each have one of their sides partly closing the slots 6, so that a suitable instrument, such as the point of a pick, may be inserted through the slot to remove the blocks from the'tiewhen desired. The blocks are positioned directly below the rails 8 which rest upon the top of the tie by spikes 9 which pass through suitable openings in the top of the ties and which enter the blocks 7. Each of the blocks 7 is centrally provided with a vertically disposed opening 10, and disposed within this opening 10 is a helical spring 11 and each of the said springs is adapted to exert a tension between the top and the bottom of the tie.

By a construction as above described, it will be noted that the outwardly bulged sides 3 of the tie will permit of the top of the said tie yielding in a downward direction and the limit of the movement of the said top will be halted by its contact with the blocks 7. The springs 11 exerting a tension between the top and bottom will assist in returning the members of the ties to their initial position after the load of the rolling stock has passed thereover.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the simplicity of the device, as well as the advantages thereof will, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such invention appertains without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention,what I claim is:

1. A railway tie formed from a sheet of resilient metal having its sides bulged outwardly, its corners rounded, and its meeting edges disposed centrally of its base, an gular cleats arranged transversely of the tie and connecting the meeting edges thereof. blocks loosely positioned in the tie, means for securing rails upon the tie, said means adapted to retain the blocks in the tie, and the sides of the ties being slotted at its ends in a line with the sides of the blocks, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A railway tie formed from a sheet of resilient metal having its sides bulged outwardly and its meeting edges disposed centrally of its base, angular cleats arranged transversely of the tie and secured thereto for connecting the meeting edges of the tie, blocks loosely positioned in the tie adjacent the ends thereof, each of said blocks having a central opening, a spring disposed in each of the openings and exerting a tension between the top and bottom of the tie, said blocks adapted to receive the rail securing spikes which are passed through the top of the ties when the rails are arranged on the tie.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

RUDOLPH J. UPDIKE. Witnesses:

C. B. Germ, B. M. Lunar.

Copies of this patent may be obtained {or an cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington. D. C." 

